ʃɪft v. & n. --v. 1 intr. & tr.
change or
move or
cause to change or move
from one position to
another. 2 tr.
remove,
esp.
with effort (washing won't shift
the stains). 3 sl. a intr.
hurry (we'll
have to shift!). b tr.
consume (food or drink) hastily or in
bulk. c tr.
sell (esp.
dubious goods). 4 intr.
contrive or
manage as
best one can. 5 US a tr. change (gear) in a
vehicle. b intr. change
gear. 6 intr. (of cargo)
get shaken out of
place. 7 intr.
archaic be
evasive or
indirect. --n. 1 a the
act or an
instance of shifting. b the substitution of one
thing for another; a
rotation. 2 a a
relay of workers (the
night shift). b the
time for
which they work (an eight-hour shift). 3 a a
device,
stratagem, or
expedient. b a
dodge,
trick, or
evasion. 4 a a woman's
straight unwaisted
dress. b archaic a loose-fitting
undergarment. 5 a
displacement of
spectral lines (see
also red shift). 6 (also
sound shift) a
systematic change in
pronunciation as a
language evolves. 7 a key on a
keyboard used to
switch between lower
and upper case etc. 8 Bridge a a change of
suit in
bidding. b US a change of suit in
play. 9 the positioning of
successive rows of bricks so
that their ends do
not coincide. 10 US a a gear
lever in a
motor vehicle. b a
mechanism for
this. ømake shift manage or contrive; get
along somehow (made shift
without it). shift for
oneself rely on one's
own efforts. shift one's ground
take up a
new position in an
argument etc. shift
off get
rid of (responsibility etc.) to another. øøshiftable adj. shifter n. [OE sciftan
arrange,
divide,
etc., f. Gmc]